Look up

How to be a good sky-watcher

Turn a UFO into an IFO: an identified flying object.

How this site works. Every fact is in our own words with its source linked beside it. The pictures are our own drawings. We never say aliens have been found, because nobody has shown that they have; we show what was reported, then what the evidence says.

Their goal is to turn a UFO into an IFO: an identified flying object. NASA Night Sky Network

NASA’s skywatching team says it is important to be respectful about other people’s sightings, because everyone who looks up long enough sees something they can’t explain at first. NASA Night Sky Network

Before you decide what it was

1. Note the time and place. Investigators say the most useful thing is to record the time and the location of both you and the object. AARO FAQ
2. Write it down straight away. Your local astronomy club can help, so note the date and time, how long you watched, its path and speed, and how bright it was. NASA Night Sky Network
3. Think about the Sun. If you saw it long after sunset, it is less likely to have been a sunlit balloon or an unlit aircraft. NASA Night Sky Network
4. Check what’s up. If you know the date, time and direction, free planetarium software such as Stellarium can show what was in the sky. NASA Night Sky Network Check for recent meteor showers and things that are common in your area. NASA Night Sky Network
5. Keep the original photo or video. Phone photos carry useful hidden data, such as GPS position and time stamps. AARO FAQ Compressing video adds artefacts to it, so AARO wants original, uncompressed camera files. AARO FAQ
6. Let someone check it. With a time and place, a sighting can be checked against air traffic, balloon-tracking and satellite-tracking records. AARO FAQ

A sky log you can copy

Copy this into a notebook. It asks for exactly what investigators say is missing from most reports.

Who to tell

Ring the old number and a recording told you it was no longer MoD policy to record, respond to or investigate UFO sightings. The Guardian

Civilian pilots are encouraged to report UAP sightings to air traffic control. AARO FAQ

AARO says it will announce when there is a way for the public to report. AARO FAQ

Your local astronomy club can help, so note the date and time, how long you watched, its path and speed, and how bright it was. NASA Night Sky Network

It suggested smartphone apps that collect pictures and sensor data from many observers at once. NASA UAP study

Next: the quiz →